What are science cafes? They are informal gatherings in which an expert discusses an interesting science topic – usually one that they’re working on. The goal is to stimulate a lively discussion.

Our speaker is: Andrew Gordon is a PhD student school at the school of experimental psychology at Bristol University.

This evening’s topic is: Misinformation is as great a threat to society today as it has been at any time in the past. With the advent of the internet, partisan news networks and direct-to-consumer media, members of the public are being increasingly exposed to disintermediated* information causing a co-incident rise in the spread of erroneous belief. But what exactly is misinformation, how does it spread, and why is it so difficult to eradicate?

In my talk, I, will attempt to answer these questions regarding contemporary examples and the current state of psychological research into the phenomenon; from behavioural work on what makes misinformation so resistant to correction, to brain imaging research looking at the neural underpinnings of the maintenance of false belief.
* removing the middleman

More about our speaker: Andrew completed his BSc in Psychology at Roehampton University with first class honours. He then completed an MSc in neuropsychology with a distinction at Bristol University in 2013-14. During his MSc, Andrew was awarded the school prize for his dissertation looking into the neural substrates of continued reliance on misinformation. Currently his research is focusing on using functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the misinformation effect.